WITH few of Canada’s marquee filmmaking names headlining this year’s Perspective Canada lineup, the 26th annual Toronto International Film Festival’s Canadian program boasts an eclectic array of very Canadian, very ambitious films, kicking off with Andre Turpin’s self-effacing Un Crabe Dans la Tete.

‘This year there’s an absence of well-known quantities like Egoyan and Cronenberg,’ says Perspective Canada programmer Liz Czach. ‘What we’re seeing is filmmakers coming back with second and third films, tomorrow’s household names.’

No stranger to Perspective Canada’s opening night, Turpin, DOP on last year’s program opener Maelstrom from Denis Villeneuve, describes his latest conquest as a major departure from the film narrated by a fish, despite what the title suggests.

‘[Un Crabe] is not as surreal as Maelstrom and in no way as dark,’ says Turpin, who wrote, directed and shot the $1.7-million, Super 16mm film, which is subtitled in English.

Described as a dramatic comedy about a guy who wants to please everyone because he’s afraid of being judged, but ends up forced to face the consequences of his far-too-amicable persona, the film, says Turpin reflects a ‘very Canadian sensibility.’

Un Crabe is produced by Luc Dery and Joseph Hillel, distributed by Film Tonic and stars David La Haye, Isabelle Blais, Emmanuel Bilodeau and Chantal Giroux.

Turpin, who made his directorial debut with Zigrail (TIFF 1995), has spent much of his filmmaking career honing his talents as a DOP (Un 32 aout sur terre, Cosmos). This year, however, he serves as a shining symbol of Quebec’s burgeoning young filmmaking community.

‘There are some really good filmmakers coming out of Quebec over the past few years,’ says Czach. ‘Catherine Martin’s Mariages, for example, is amazing for a first feature.’ In addition to Un Crabe, Perspective Canada is showcasing three Quebec films, including L’Ange de Goudron by Denis Chouinard, La Femme Qui Boit by Bernard Emond and Martin’s Marriage.

However, with four of the 18 features showcasing in the Canadian program coming out of B.C., plus B.C. filmmaker Bruce Sweeney’s Last Wedding opening the festival, the West is getting some major play this year.

Perspective Canada features out of B.C. include Lynne Stopkewich’s doc Lilith on Top, for which Canadian singer/songwriter and founder of Lilith Fair Sarah McLachlan will be attending the festival; Carl Bessai’s Lola; Anne Wheeler’s Suddenly Naked; and Laurie Maria Baranyay’s Walk Backwards.

‘There’s a great deal of work out of B.C., as well as Alberta and Manitoba this year,’ says PC programmer Stacey Donen. The East Coast, however, ‘isn’t producing as much as we’d like to see,’ says Czach.

‘Filmmaking less restrictive these days’

The most noticeable trend this year, agree the two PC programmers, is the emergence of digital. ‘The digital trend has put cameras in the hands of a lot of people,’ says Czach. ‘Filmmaking is less restrictive these days,’ which is why, perhaps, the program received a 30% increase in submissions this year. From 147 feature film entries, the programmers culled 18 for the program, 10 of which are feature directorial debuts (compared to nine last year) and 12 are world premieres (compared to 14 last year). All together, there were actually 529 submissions – 147 features and 382 shorts (compared to last year’s 467 submissions: 114 features and 353 shorts).

Submissions by province break down as follows: Ontario – 269; B.C. – 103; Quebec – 101; Alberta – 21; Manitoba – 12; Nova Scotia – 6; New Brunswick – 3; Newfoundland – 1; and Nunavut – 1.

One noticeable omission from the PC program is director Bruce McDonald’s Claire’s Hat, recently renamed Picturing Claire.

‘The film festival opened their arms to this film,’ says Serendipity Point Films spokesperson Wendy Saffer. ‘They asked us what our preference was, in terms of where the film should be placed.’

As such, the film will make its world premiere in the festival’s special presentation lineup, along with the North American premiere of Canadian director Zacharias Kunuk’s Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner).

Picturing Claire, produced by Robert Lantos and written by Semi Chellas, is mixing at the moment and will be ready just in time for the festival, confirms Saffer. Starring Juliette Lewis and Gina Gershon, the film follows a young French-Canadian woman forced to move from Montreal to Toronto, where she unwittingly gets involved in a murder case.

Atanarjuat, directed by Zacharias Kunuk, written by Paul Apak Angilir and coproduced by Igloolik Isuma Productions and the National Film Board of Canada, was the recipient of the Camera d’Or prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Filmed entirely on location on the sea-ice and tundra around Igloolik, Atanarjuat is a groundbreaking work made with an almost entirely Inuit cast and crew, and based on an ancient Inuit legend.

Other special presentations include: the N.A. premiere of Jill Sprecher’s Thirteen Conversations About One Thing; the world premiere of French director Yvan Attal’s Ma Femme Est Une Actrice; the world premiere of Gregor Jordan’s Buffalo Soldiers; the world premiere of Mike Figgis’ Hotel; the world premiere of John Dahl’s Joy Ride; the world premiere and directorial debut of renowned photographer Neal Slavin’s Focus and two films making their Canadian premiere from Richard Linklater, Tape and Walking Life.

The Canadian films programmed in the festival to date include 18 PC features and 27 PC shorts, nine Jean Pierre Lefebvre films, the opening gala, two special presentations, and one Canadian Open Vault (Phillip Borsos’ The Grey Fox).

Fifty-seven Canadian films have been programmed to date.

Canadian features to be showcased in PC this year:

Un Crabe Dans la Tete (Andre Turpin, Que.)

L’Ange de Goudron (Denis Chouinard, Que.)

The Art of Woo (Helen Lee, Ont.)

Century Hotel (David Weaver, Ont.)

Cyberman (Peter Lynch, Ont.)

La Femme Qui Boit (Bernard Emond, Que.)

The Frank Truth (Rick Caine, Ont.)

Khaled (Asghar Massombagi, Ont.)

Inertia (Sean Garrity, Man.)

Lilith on Top (Lynne Stopkewich, B.C.)

Lola (Carl Bessai, B.C.)

Mariages (Catherine Martin, Que.)

On Their Knees (Anais Granofsky, Ont.)

Rare Birds (Sturla Gunnarsson, Nfld.)

Suddenly Naked (Anne Wheeler, B.C.)

Treed Murray (William Phillips, Ont.)

Walk Backwards (Laurie Maria Baranyay, B.C.)

Westray (Paul Cowan, N.S.)

Highlights from the PC short program:

Touch (Jeremy Podeswa)

Strange Invaders (Cordell Barker)

Jean La Liberte (Philippe Falardeau)

I Shout Love (Sarah Polley)

Lip Service – A Mystery (Anne-Marie Flemming)

For the 18th consecutive year, Citytv will present, together with the City of Toronto, the Toronto City Award for Best Canadian Film, with a cash prize of $25,000.

For the 5th year, Citytv will present an award for Best Canadian First Feature Film, worth $15,000.

The TIFF runs Sept. 6-15.

For a full listing of all films programmed-to-date for this year’s TIFF, go to www.bell.ca/filmfest.